Believers go through a lot of persecutions, sometimes even wondering why God is letting it happen to us. But the bible in James 1:2 asks us to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because this sort of testing of our faith leads to perseverance which leads us to maturity. It is a fact that in our weakness, God's strength is made perfect.

In the book of Mathew 28, we are told of a violent earthquake that was experienced at Christ’s resurrection. At the end of this chapter we see Christ declaring that all authority in heaven and earth have now been given unto him. The resurrection of Christ firstly affirms Christ as judge and God of all because it was after he resurrected that he got all authority. No one took his life from him, he laid it down for us of his own accord. Christ did not need us in order to resurrect, he did it himself through God the Father. Acts 2:36 says, ‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this; God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ’. It is after this very resurrection that we see Christ suddenly and without reservations walking through walls and appearing to the hiding disciples. John 20:19 talks of how the disciples had locked all the doors but Jesus penetrated these barriers and stood before them-holy, resurrected and victorious.

Secondly, Christ’s resurrection affirms that God accepts atonement for sin. Hebrews 9:20-22 confirms this, ‘….This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you to keep. In the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness’. Jesus Christ was the spotless, faultless lamb who shed his blood for us and atoned for our sins. He was offered as a sacrifice once and for all. God, having accepted atonement by Christ, we can all walk to Him and present ourselves on account of what Christ did for us. Christ cleared the way for us to be reconciled to our God and Father.

The resurrection of Christ was God’s way of showing his acceptance of atonement. We are now adopted as children of the most high and we do not have to be afraid of approaching His throne through Jesus Christ in order for our prayers and petitions to be answered. We do not have to think of our tithes and offerings as being our atonement because Jesus Christ took care of that. Those that have accepted Christ as their Savior now become children of God. Let us not be the ones that get rebuked because of our hardened hearts when he returns as he did the disciples who refused to believe that he had risen. Mark 16:14 puts it well,’ He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen’.

No matter how bad we were before we accepted Christ into our lives, Christ has atoned for our sins. Romans 8:1 reassures us, ‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death’. Resurrection affirms that Christ is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords.
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